Page 1--OP5 Commentary

I have had a lot of time since my last OP cycle to participate in the Gaia community in a variety of ways.  Here are some of them: 

I hosted a Gaia Radio Call on the topic of Natural Philosophy--July 11, 2013

I fulfilled a buddy request chat for Kate Marnul to chat with her on the topic of Astronomy—January 2014

I had a series of buddy conversations with Amelia Parisian and reviewed an OP for her (outside my normal requirements)--Spring 2013-Winter 2014

I participated in two webinars for TALC 1 and the webinar for TALC 3—Winter 2013

I attended the North American Permaculture Convergence and represented Gaia University by wearing a promotional button, manning the booth for a few hours, and by pouring wine at a happy hour event they hosted.--August 2014

I had a design charrette with fellow Gaia student Coco Gordon on our way home from the event—August 2014

Overall, my advising sessions have been fruitful and energizing and more recently, I have been utilizing my skill flex advising and service learning budget.  Something that could be improved upon is my utilization of Elves within the Gaia community as well as reaching out to peers in general for support and feedback.  

After leaving Sunrise Ranch, traveling the country, and trying to find jobs and a place to live, we burned through our savings fairly quickly.  Money got tight which means my time also got tight.  My wife and I were both working low wage jobs, our daughter was in a child care program that was subsidized by the government and there wasn’t much room to wiggle.  I wasn’t sure what the future of my professional work was going to look like and I certainly didn’t see space in my schedule to re-engage with Gaia University to finish out my Master’s degree.  I managed my pathway with a series of leave months, in hopes that I would find a way to finish out. 

I had been taking small side jobs, and it wasn’t until one of those small jobs showed some potential of turning into something bigger that I began to see a potential strategy. 

As a father of two young kids, there are few other people in my world that I am more accountable to than to the woman I am raising them with.  So, when I told my wife that I wanted to quit my day job and pursue this new business opportunity, she was reasonably skeptical.  “Show me the money” she said, “and I’ll support you all the way.” 

I did design work on my days off from my full time day job and eventually came up with a bid that I presented to my potential client.  She agreed to the project bid and that evening I walked home with a down payment check, showed my wife “the money” and quit my day job the next morning.  Completion of that big job provided my family with a financial buffer and plenty of room to wiggle.  Ultimately, the way I see it, is that it has bought me some time to accomplish my goal of finishing my Master’s degree with Gaia U. 

In early October, I set a goal for myself to submit a draft of this OP for pre-review to my adviser by October 17^th.  A couple of days before that deadline I sent an email letting her know that I wasn’t going to get it in.  I had over promised some of my time to doing some homesteading activities with my family.  Unfortunately, I made the same mistake the following week and again missed a self-imposed deadline.  In addition to underestimating the time it would take to polish up my website, I also realize that I did not set for myself a clear end point.  I could have been pulling pictures and playing with fonts forever if it weren’t for a useful bit of wisdom that came through an All Gaia Radio call when Jennifer English said “Gaia Univeristy is less interested in whether or not your project gets completed as it is that you are consciously learning from the process and that you are able to articulate those learnings.”  This relieved much of the pressure I was feeling to get my website absolutely perfect before submitting my output package, and allowed me to begin work on the commentary. 

I will have a couple more opportunities to interact with deadlines in the Gaia U arena, and many more after graduation.  A few things I have learned in this particular cycle are the following:  keep my eye on the prize; in other words have a clear image about what the completed project might look like and work toward it with intent.  Otherwise, I could be working endlessly and not even know when I am complete.  I also learned that I need to dedicate my time in a more delineated fashion when it comes to work related activities and family related activities.  In this past cycle, I tried to work on Gaia in the mornings and be with the family in the afternoons but I learned that I would be better off dedicating an entire day to Gaia and an entire day to family so as to keep my momentum and be more present for my family.

The permaculture work study program at Sunrise Ranch that I had worked so hard to build over the course of the first 2 years that I was enrolled with Gaia is still being offered and I am still the lead instructor. (I travelled up there to teach a course session every Wednesday afternoon this past season). Here is a link to a video slideshow that I made to commemorate this 2014 season (not critical to the content of this OP). 

The projects that I am highlighting in this particular output package were not in my original set of goals that I laid out in my OP1b—but I also did not anticipate leaving Sunrise Ranch.  This past cycle has been a good practice in adapting to my dynamic environment while maintaining an orientationthat is true to myself and while staying aware of my gifts and purpose.  Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman philosopher once said “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”  The story of my business getting started is exactly that.  I did not put myself out there to offer my permaculture services to the public, but opportunities kept presenting themselves and I kept showing up prepared.  In one amazing bit of good timing, one client asked me to design and build a series of retaining walls and a patio for her and her husband to entertain guests on.  I had had no prior experience doing this type of work until this summer when I worked a job installing hardscapes for an upscale design and build company.  If I had not spent the summer with this company, I would not have had the skills necessary to meet my client’s request.  Though I had accomplished a few other smaller jobs, this patio project was the true catalyst for starting my own business.

Therefore, the project that I have chosen to include in the core report of this output package has two aspects to it.  The first is a documentation of the design process and construction of the retaining walls and patio that I built for Sharon Knorr, and the second aspect is the formation of my new ecological landscape design and build company called Padden Permaculture. 

These projects have a significant impact on my learning pathway for many reasons.  First, as I strive to grow and mature as a permaculture designer, opportunities to work with clients and to push new edges holds a great value to me.  While I was at Sunrise Ranch I was limited to my own imagination because I was one of the few people there working toward sustainability.  Now that I have had a taste of the industry outside of Sunrise Ranch, I realize that there is a plethora of clients out there who have needs and ideas and are just waiting for a person like myself to make their dreams a reality.  The second way this project has had a significant impact on my learning pathway is because all of the hard skills that I learned that were needed to complete this job such as: creating an estimate, selling the job, building retaining walls, etc. Moreover, all of the skills acquired in the formation of a new business such as: registering as an LLC, purchasing insurance, setting up a system of accounting, etc. 

But perhaps the most significant way that this project has impacted my learning pathway is how it has opened my mind up to the utility of money.  For the past six years I have been trying to get projects done at Sunrise Ranch with essentially volunteer labor and little to no budget.  I have now experienced the power that money holds when it is directed toward landscape development, and I see unlimited potential.  I had always tried to envision permaculture principals becoming mainstream in a sort of round-about moneyless way.  As though somehow, the world’s landscapes were going to be transformed by good hearted volunteers, good samaritans and hopeful permaculturists.  Now I believe that big change can occur when permaculture minded people become landscapers, architects, engineers, and developers and participate in mainstream commerce to accomplish our goals.   Not only has this project influenced my learning pathway, it has also impacted my earning pathway.  Before landing this job, or staring my own business, I couldn’t fathom earning enough money to put my daughter through college, or buying land, or living a financially comfortable life style.  I figured that my interest and passion for permaculture had also doomed me to a life of poverty and financial struggle.  Now I see that not only can I make a bigger difference in the world by participating in mainstream commerce, I can also make a bigger paycheck.  

Personal-When I first started doing projects for friends, I approached them with an attitude of “let’s see if I can help you, and if so, you can pay me accordingly.”  These projects turned out to be relatively mediocre jobs, and the pay was nothing to write home about.  However, when Sharon Knorr first contacted me, she was not a friend or a friend of a friend; she had found my bio on the Sunrise Ranch website when doing a Google search for permaculturists in Colorado.  So when she asked me about my rates and services I figured I would try something new.  Instead of approaching it with the attitude I mentioned above, I decided to mimic the style of one of the designers that I had met at Lindgren Landscape, the company worked at this past summer.  His name was Mitch and although he was a young guy about 25 years old, he really walked the walk of a high end designer.  He wore fancy clothes, stylish shoes, and accessorized with an expensive pair of sunglasses.  Now, my fist conversation with Sharon was over the phone so I couldn’t impress her with my dress, but the style that I am speaking about that I decided to mimic was the degree of self-confidence that I witnessed in Mitch as a designer. So instead of an attitude of “let’s see if I can help,” a presented to her a tone of, “I know what I am doing; you really need me; and you are so lucky to have found the right guy for the job.”  I quoted her a fee for my services that matched my new attitude and low and behold I landed my highest paying consultation ever.  Not only that but she liked what I had to say, invited me back for a few more sessions and the rest, as you will see in my core report, is history.

This may sound a bit like a professional skillflex but at the heart of this example is some really serious personal growth around self-confidence and self-worth.  It was a big deal for me to step into this new character because the safety net of “aim low, fall softly” is no longer stretched below me.  When I bring the attitude of “maybe I can help” it leaves me an out.  It takes me off the hook and if I fail, it is no big deal because I didn’t claim to be anything special in the first place.  So I had some fear around playing big, but once I did it, I realized that I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.  Not only that, but I learned that clients seek that sort of confidence and I am sure that is why Sharon trusted me with a bigger job. 

The next step for me now is to try to identify other places in my life where perhaps I am playing small, and take a second look at why I might be doing that.  Maybe the same pattern of personal growth can apply in other areas too. 

In fact, as I write this, I realize that I have indeed applied this pattern to my parenting style in recent months.  Self-confidence as a parent goes a long way when upholding simple household rules and routines.  I have noticed that ever since I started being less flexible and adhering more closely to the rules that I have put into place, the behavior of my children drastically improved.  Now when I tell them it’s time to brush their teeth, they do it, and I am sure it is because I am no longer asking them to do it, (with room for negotiation) but because I am simply enforcing a household rule.  It all comes back to my own self-confidence as a parent, or more specifically as a rule enforcer.  When I believe I am the king rule enforcer, my kids believe it too—just like when I believe I am the king permaculture designer, my clients will believe it too!! 

Professional-There are many professional skills that I have acquired in the past OP cycle.  There are all the designer skills that I learned about walking the walk, selling a job, and even producing a professional looking design.  Then there are the trade skills that I learned about excavation, setting a base foundation, leveling blocks, using a laser level, building a patio, cutting in a soldier course, and communication with materials suppliers.  As I set up my business I have learned some financial management strategies to prepare me for tax season, track my income and expenses, and other useful skills, but the professional skill that I value the most out of everything I have learned is the skill and art of creating a job estimate. 

The job estimate needs to be reasonable enough to not scare your client away, but it also MUST be thorough and include every foreseen expense with plenty of room to wiggle.  This insures that you will not run out of money before getting the job done.  It is also where lots of money can be earned if materials are adequately marked up.  I got lucky (preparation met opportunity) with my first big job in that I appropriately over estimated my material and labor costs, tacked on a fair markup, and accurately judged my clients resource base to make them stretch a bit financially but not be intimidated by the final number.  This combination allowed me to get the job done correctly, with quality materials, and still make a substantial profit.

Interestingly this is extremely important phase of the design process is almost completely ignored in all Permaculture Design Courses.  Now that I am more familiar with its importance, I certainly intend on weaving it into the content of the future PDCs that I facilitate. This is the skill that allows a concept design to become a reality.  It is the bridge between idea and implementation. 

Peer-One aspect of the job that has not yet been completed is the wiring of an outlet that connects to one of the hand rail posts.  I did not complete that task because I am not licensed to do electrical work and although I could probably get it done, it is in the best interest of my company if I do things by the book from the get go.  One of the skills that I am going to need to flex as my business grows is the task of sub-contracting.  Luckily, my brother in law is a licensed electrician and is going to be coming out to help complete the job.  This will be my first opportunity to navigate a sub-contractor relationship so I am happy to have someone I can trust.  I cannot report on the specific peer learnings in this instance since the job has not been completed but at least the opportunity awaits. 

Political/Patrix—There is a whole world of landscapers out there who have no idea about the existence of permaculture.   Many of them don’t care if the landscapes they install harmonize with existing ecological patterns or if the materials they use destroy more habitat than they create.  Our mainstream landscape industry has some of the biggest impact on the land and yet is relatively naïve to the potential impact that good design and ethical installation can have on our global sustainability.  For me, the most significant political/patrix busting skill flex in this OP cycle has been to identify myself as a landscaper.  For many years, I enjoyed the fringe identity of permaculture.  I liked the new age label of garden-farmer, and the last thing I wanted was to be associated with any type of existing industry.  But my viewpoint has shifted during this past cycle and now I believe permaculture has its best shot at becoming mainstream if it blends in with existing industry.  As Albert Bates said at the 2014 North American Permaculture Convergence, “permaculture and permaculturists need to become invisible.  We need to become so integrated into society that we are no longer a fringe component of society.  Rather all architecture is permaculture, and all engineering is permaculture, and all farming is permaculture.”  While I do think it is possible for current engineers and architects and farmers to catch the permaculture bug and integrate it into their work, I think it is more feasible for our current generation of young permies to take up work in these important fields and steer the industries from within rather from on the side lines.  This is my goal in identifying myself as a landscaper.  I hope to bust the current patrix around the landscape industry and demonstrate the regenerative capabilities of the trade. 

Many of the skills that I have acquired during the past OP cycle were not intentionally designed or predicted in my OP1b.  I gained these skills as a matter of circumstance and out of necessity as I journeyed along a dynamic pathway.  One year ago, if someone told me these were going to be the new tools in my tool belt, I would not believe them.  I had no idea that my pathway would lead me into building hardscapes, or forming a business.  This is the exciting thing to me.  I love that I have been blessed with a capable body and mind to pick up new skills and it makes me curious as to what I might learn tomorrow.